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1 February 2011
Last updated at 00:53 ET
A Pakistani court has ordered the authorities not to release a US man who killed two men in Lahore last week.
The Lahore high court also ordered the government to place the name of Raymond Davis on the "exit control list" to prevent him from leaving Pakistan.
The US embassy has called for his release, saying he has diplomatic status and is immune from prosecution.
Pakistan says he does not have immunity and is not one of the foreign security personnel authorised to carry firearms.
Mr Davis is in custody while police investigate the shooting. He has been charged with the murder of the two men.
Tougher stance The US embassy in Islamabad has argued that he is a consulate employee who acted in "self-defence when confronted by two armed men on motorcycles" on 27 January.
Mr Davis is said to have told police that the motorcycle rider and his pillion passenger tried to hijack his vehicle at gunpoint.
As Mr Davis' colleagues came to his aid, their vehicle ran over and killed a third person.
Lawyers in Lahore have filed a petition to the High Court arguing that Mr Davis must stand trial in Pakistan and not be handed over to the US government.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Pakistan says that speculation is rife over the true position of Mr Davis.
Our correspondent says that the US authorities pursued a soft tone immediately following the incident, but they have now hardened their stance and argued that he should be released according to the Vienna Convention.
Pakistani authorities say it increasingly appears that Mr Davis was a private security contractor working for the US government in Pakistan.
They said that a Glock pistol was recovered from Mr Davis and that pistols were also found on the two men who were shot dead.
Mr Davis's permanent employer, according to the Huffington Post website, is a company called Hyperion Protective Consultants LLC based in Orlando, Florida.
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The Lahore high court also ordered the government to place the name of Raymond Davis on the "exit control list" to prevent him from leaving Pakistan.
The US embassy has called for his release, saying he has diplomatic status and is immune from prosecution.
Pakistan says he does not have immunity and is not one of the foreign security personnel authorised to carry firearms.
Mr Davis is in custody while police investigate the shooting. He has been charged with the murder of the two men.
Tougher stance The US embassy in Islamabad has argued that he is a consulate employee who acted in "self-defence when confronted by two armed men on motorcycles" on 27 January.
Mr Davis is said to have told police that the motorcycle rider and his pillion passenger tried to hijack his vehicle at gunpoint.
As Mr Davis' colleagues came to his aid, their vehicle ran over and killed a third person.
Lawyers in Lahore have filed a petition to the High Court arguing that Mr Davis must stand trial in Pakistan and not be handed over to the US government.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Pakistan says that speculation is rife over the true position of Mr Davis.
Our correspondent says that the US authorities pursued a soft tone immediately following the incident, but they have now hardened their stance and argued that he should be released according to the Vienna Convention.
Pakistani authorities say it increasingly appears that Mr Davis was a private security contractor working for the US government in Pakistan.
They said that a Glock pistol was recovered from Mr Davis and that pistols were also found on the two men who were shot dead.
Mr Davis's permanent employer, according to the Huffington Post website, is a company called Hyperion Protective Consultants LLC based in Orlando, Florida.
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